Upcoming Colloquium
4D Chromosome Organization: Combining Polymer Physics, Knot Theory and High Performance Computing
Dr. Anna Lapala, Harvard University
November 29, 2021
11:00am via Zoom
Faculty, staff, alumni, and students of the department will automatically receive a weekly Zoom invitation via email. All others may sign up to receive a weekly invitation.
Self-organization is a universal concept spanning numerous disciplines including mathematics, physics and biology. Chromosomes are self-organizing polymers that fold into orderly, hierarchical and yet dynamic structures. In the past decade, advances in experimental biology have provided a means to reveal information about chromosome connectivity, allowing us to directly use this information from experiments to generate 3D models of individual genes, chromosomes and even genomes. In this talk I will present a novel data-driven modeling approach and discuss a number of possibilities that this method holds. I will discuss a detailed study of the time-evolution of X chromosome inactivation, highlighting both global and local properties of chromosomes that result in topology-driven dynamical arrest and present and characterize a novel type of motion we discovered in knots that may have applications to nanoscale materials and machines.
The Colloquium is a unique opportunity for students to learn about new developments in physics and what physicists do after they graduate. Hosted by the Department of Physics and Astronomy at California State University Long Beach, the weekly meetings invite guests from universities, research laboratories, and industry to present and discuss current topics in physics. All students are encouraged to attend for a well-rounded experience and training in physics.
Colloquium Coordinator
For information and suggestions about the colloquium please contact the colloquium coordinator:
- Dr. Claudia Ojeda-Aristizabal
- Email: Claudia.Ojeda-Aristizabal@csulb.edu
Schedule
The Fall 2021 colloquia will start on August 23.
| Date | Title | Speaker and Affiliation |
|---|---|---|
| November 29, 2021 | 4D Chromosome Organization: Combining Polymer Physics, Knot Theory and High Performance Computing | Dr. Anna Lapala, Harvard University |
| December 6, 2021 | Student Research Presentations | Students, CSU Long Beach |
| December 13, 2021 | Student Research Presentations | Students, CSU Long Beach |
Previous Colloquia
| Date | Title | Speaker and Affiliation |
|---|---|---|
| November 15, 2021 | Introduction to Quantum Computing and Trapped Ion-based Technologies at Honeywell Quantum Solutions | Dr. Natalie Brown, Honeywell Inc. |
| November 8, 2021 | Shedding 'Nu' Light on the Nature of Matter: the Search for Majorana Neutrinos | Dr. Julieta Gruszko, University of North Carolina |
| November 1, 2021 | Tangled Worm Blobs: Living Polymers That Inspire Collective Robotics | Dr. Saad Bhamla, Georgia Tech |
| October 25, 2021 | Fluid Mechanics of Modern Artistic Painting | Dr. Roberto Zenit, Brown University |
| October 18, 2021 | Taking the Measure of Neutron Stars with NICER | Dr. M. Coleman Miller, University of Maryland |
| October 11, 2021 | Constraining the Drake Equation: The Past, Present, and Future of the Search for Life | Dr. Kaitlin Rasmussen, University of Michigan |
| October 4, 2021 | Using Microwaves to Search for New Physics in Nuclear Beta Decay | Dr. Alejandro Garcia, University of Washington |
| September 27, 2021 | Synthetic Microswimmers in Complex Environments | Dr. William Uspal, University of Hawaii at Manoa |
| September 20, 2021 | Coupling Diamond Defects to High-finesse Optical Microcavities | Dr. Lilian Childress, McGill University |
| September 13, 2021 | The Last Supernova Ever | Dr. Matt Caplan, Illinois State University |
| August 30, 2021 | Gravitational Wave Astronomy with a Precision Pulsar Timing Array Detector | Dr. Michael Lam, Rochester Institute of Technology |
| August 23, 2021 | Meet and Mix | Physics faculty and guests, CSU Long Beach |
The Colloquium Archive has the Colloquia from previous semesters.
Sponsors
We acknowledge with gratitude donations and support from the following present sponsors:
- H.E. and H.B. Miller and Family Endowment
- Benjamin Carter
- American Physical Society
- Anonymous
We also acknowledge with gratitude our past donors: The Forty-Niner Shops, Inc., The Northrop Grumman Foundation, Sandra Dana, Anonymous.
If you wish to support the Colloquium, please contact the colloquium coordinator or the department chair. Thank you!